Sincere Compliments
by hunterwolf11
Summary: Sweets wants Booth and Brennan to compliment each other pli, not ple this time . These two never make it easy, though.


Sweets smiled as Booth and Brennan walked into his office, each looking more than mildly annoyed. These two just couldn't stay out of therapy. Or maybe the FBI powers that be just couldn't leave them alone. He waited until they were seated in the twin armchairs and looking at him expectantly. "Hey guys, welcome back."

Brennan and Booth turned their heads slightly toward each others, made eye contact, and then, as one, turned back to him with eyebrows raised. Such a unified front for two so very very different people. Sweets found it truly fascinating how they can be bickering and squabbling with each other one moment (and he was sure they had been a few moments ago in his waiting room, his receptionist and laughed and confirmed that when she had advised him his patients were back) but the minute they felt a threat to each other or their partnership all differences were immediately put aside and they stood together.

"O...kay, I see you guys are being as cooperative as ever. Which is totally fine, I mean, we made this work before, right?"

"Why are we here? I thought you had formally ended our sessions?" It always seemed to be Dr. Brennan that spoke up first. For someone who had no respect for psychology as a science she was always the one who gave his ideas a chance, too. Sweets had a sneaky feeling that was because she didn't understand how much she revealed in these sessions. Booth, on the other hand, was pretty good at psychology, for a lay person, anyway, and was far more reticent in their sessions. No scary feelings, huh? Then what's to hide?

Sweets adjusted his more casual tone and demeanor to match Brennan's serious posture. "Well, the FBI has ordered partner's therapy for you two again following the shooting incident, faked death, and Gormagon case conclusion. They feel that these events may have shaken your partnership and trust in each other."

Booth tilted his head back and flashed a nervous smile, "That's ridiculous! She didn't hold it against me when I arrested her father, I don't think this..._this_...would have any effect." Booth noticed, though, that Sweets wasn't looking at him, but had his eyes glued to Brennan. He turned to regard his partner and was shocked at the thoughtful look on her face. "Bones?"

Brennan blinked and looked up from where her eyes had been fixed on a blank spot on Sweets' desk as she thought. Ignoring the plaintive question Booth had asked with just her name, she spoke directly to Sweets. "I think that the FBI has no idea you were the reason I had no knowledge of Booth's faked death. If they did, they would more likely question my trust in you, not Booth."

Despite the uncomfortable position she had placed Sweets in, he noticed the visible way Booth relaxed in his chair and the smile of admiration that flashed across his features. Sweets opened his mouth and paused before responding, "That is true, Dr. Brennan. They don't know that I deliberately withheld that information from you. And while I'm glad you're placing the blame where it belongs, that incident, coupled with Dr. Addy's involvement in the Gormagon case has got to have both of you questioning your trust in the people you work closely with."

Brennan looked over to Booth and sighed. "I don't think we have any choice in the matter anyway, Booth. If we still want to work together they're going to force us to do this again."

"Well I still want to work with you. Do you still want to work with me?"

Sweets detected an undercurrent of insecurity there and made a quick mental note.

Brennan must have picked up on it too because her response was a tad defensive, "Of course I still want to work with you. Why wouldn't I?"

"I-I...don't know. Ask him, he's the one who thinks we need to be here!" Booth waved his arm towards Sweets.

Ah, Booth, ever the master of deflection, Sweets thought ruefully. Now both the agent and the doctor's eyes were watching him expectantly. "Let's leave that for another day, I've picked up on some insecurities between the two of you in the past and I'd like to work on those today."

Booth laughed nervously again, "I'm not insecure, I'm all about...security...in myself." Seeming to realize how incredibly stupid that sounded he again deflected, "Are you insecure, Bones?"

Brennan smiled, disbelievingly, "Me? You're always telling me how arrogant I am, and that's the opposite of insecurity, so no."

During this exchange Sweets had been wearing what he liked to think of as his 'you two are so blind' expression, but this was the opening he had been waiting for so he jumped in. "See? This is what I'm talking about. You're defensive and looking for reassurance from each other, and Dr. Brennan has just pointed out something that you, Agent Booth, had pointed out in one of our first sessions." He paused a moment to be sure he had their attention before continuing, "I had told you that you two complemented each other and you mistook my verb for 'compliment' and stated that she never compliments you."

The pair looked at each other, confused. Finally Brennan turned back to Sweets and half-questioned, half-stated, "I didn't say anything about compliments. I said he calls me arrogant, that's hardly a compliment."

She was missing the point and Booth blundered in to try and rescue her, "That's not entirely fair, she's complimented me before. She's told me I'm not stupid and that I'm a well structured fully developed male." He winced after he blurted that.

Sweets' eyes widened slightly. Now _that_ was interesting, but to be saved for another day. "I'm not sure saying you're not stupid is really a compliment. And to be effective, a compliment needs to be sincere and focusing on internal traits, as well as being something that's not obvious."

Booth turned to Brennan, "I'm not sure if he just called me stupid or brilliant."

Brennan leaned in towards Booth and stage whispered, "It doesn't matter, I don't think you're stupid."

"Apparently you don't think I'm brilliant, either, though."

Sweets waved his arms to get their attention, "See? See? Totally insecure, people."

Brennan ignored Sweets and continued her not-so-quietly whispered conversation with Booth. "You are brilliant, in your own way. You're a brilliant investigator, we've gone over this. I wouldn't work with you otherwise. I guess when I think of brilliant, though, I usually equate that with IQ, and though I'm sure you're well above average..." Her face became troubled as she trailed off.

"Yeah, not in the whole stratosphere thing, I get it."

Sweets was becoming a little frantic. They were floundering and making things worse instead of listening to him. "Yo! Guys, therapy, here. Therapy is supposed to be structured. I'm over here, trying to build a structure, and you two are just bulldozing right through it!" The pair turned back to him sullenly, their faces mirroring discomfort. "Thank you, geez. Okay, so what I'd like you to do now is compliment each other-"

"You know, you worked with Sully just fine." Booth had turned back to Brennan seemingly upset.

"Are you trying to say he wasn't a good investigator?" Brennan seemed a bit confused.

"Well, he was ok, kinda flaky though, you gotta admit."

"Hey! Don't call him flaky, I liked him. I wouldn't let anyone call you flaky."

"Yeah, well, you also dated him. And you don't even know what flaky means, do you?"

"It's clear from your context it isn't a good thing. And what does dating Sully have to do with anything?"

Sweets currently had his head down on his desk, feeling a bit like crying. Good question, though, Dr. Brennan.

"Well, you know, he wasn't _brilliant_." Booth said that last word with what was supposed to be a haughty English accent.

"No, he wasn't. I still don't see-"

"Yeah, never mind. Sweets? What did you want us to do?"

Sweets' voice was muffled from talking straight into the desk. "I want you two to compliment each other. Sincerely." He lifted his head to see skeptical looks coming from both patients.

"Do you want us to sincerely compliment each other or do you sincerely want us to compliment each other?"

Sweets looked helplessly first at Brennan, then at Booth. He had no idea if she was serious or stalling. Booth rescued him, "She's serious."

"Both, then. I want you to think about what you appreciate in the other person, and state it as a compliment starting with 'I love' such as, 'I love that you are the most frustrating person to talk to'."

"Well that didn't sound like much of a compliment." Booth laughed out loud shortly at his partner's continued antics. Sweets deserved this, he reminded himself.

"Also-"

"No, Dr. Brennan."

"But-"

"No. Unless the next words out of your mouth are a compliment to Agent Booth, I don't want to hear it."

Brennan sat back and pouted a little. Booth took a little pity on her, turned in his chair to face her more fully and stated, quite seriously, "Bones, I love how you drive Sweets crazy."

Eyes flashing with instant understanding Brennan turned to Booth with a sweet smile, "Thank you, Booth. I love how you intimidate him."

"Guys, that's not what I mean."

"But it was sincere. I mean, I know I was sincere, were you sincere Bones?"

"I was sincere."

They turned back to Sweets and smiled, quite satisfied.


End file.
